Brownies are possibly one of the simplest bakes one can make. Most recipes are a one dish kind, or what I like to call the ‘dump’ method. It was also one of the first things I tried to bake and was successful, which led to it becoming a staple in my baking arsenal. Doesn’t hurt that they’re one of the most popular bakes around, pleasing adults and kids alike. Dress them up (with whipped cream, icecream, nutella or chocolate sauce) or dress them down and serve as is, mostly guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser. I teach this recipe to beginners in my basic baking workshop and I am always thrilled by the reaction it elicits once out of the oven!
There are fudge brownies (indulgent, gooey kinds) that relies on melted chocolate and butter and cake brownies (drier versions) that mostly use only cocoa. The former is a classic brownie with a dry edge, fudge centre and crinkly top. I am not a fan of the latter while I must confess that I haven’t experimented too much with cocoa brownies.
This recipe has been on this blog for ages, and I realised just recently that the link which had the recipe doesn’t open up anymore. I used the original recipe from this blogging duo (now defunct) called Jugalbandi. Over the last decade, I have made a few changes which warrant a freshly written recipe. So here goes, if you are looking for a good brownie recipe, this is it.
Triple Chocolate Brownies (Makes one 8×8 pan)
1 cup dark chocolate use a good quality one
½ cup unsalted butter (if using salted, leave out the salt mentioned later in the recipe)
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla essence (additionally 2 tablespoons of coffee liqueur is optional)
3/4 cup maida/ all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/3 cup choco chips or nuts such as walnuts, hazelnuts or pecans
Method:
Preheat the oven to 175 C and line an 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Brush it with butter and set aside.
Sift the flour with the baking powder, salt and cocoa powder. Set aside.
Melt the chocolate and butter together in a microwave safe bowl for about 1-2 mins. Please check according to your appliance. Whisk it to make sure there are no lumps.
Add the sugar into the melted chocolate mixture and stir till almost dissolved. Into the cooled mixture, add the eggs one by one, vanilla and coffee liqueur if using and beat well.
Stir in the flour mixture, add choco chips or nuts if desired, or reserve to sprinkle on top of the brownie.
Pour it into the prepared cake tin, sprinkle the reserved nuts/ choco chips on top.
Bake for 22 or 23 mins or until a toothpick inserted comes clean. Cool completely before slicing into squares. Dust with powdered sugar.
This can be stored at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerated for upto 7 days. Warm gently for 15 -30 seconds in the microwave oven before serving.
Escapades 